


stella mortis

by ashhhhksf



Category: Devil May Cry
Genre: Assassination, Assassination Attempt(s), Fluff, Gen, Light Angst, Mild Language, Sibling Bonding, Siblings, a twin sister to be precise, nero has a sister, no incest thats illegal
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-08-24
Updated: 2020-01-06
Packaged: 2020-09-26 01:14:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 4,847
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20381254
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ashhhhksf/pseuds/ashhhhksf
Summary: Damn it, damn her late reaction time. If she was just a little faster, they'd both still be whole.------You know the story, the cliché separation of twins at birth, a bit of adventure, a dash of fighting and their eventual reuniting.





	1. prologue

The night was cold, the winds harsh and rain unmerciful against the young woman's face. In her arms, she shielded a single sleeping child for the downpour. 

_It hasn't even been 48 hours, my dear. _

The child stirred in her arms, burrowing into her chest. 

_ You'll be warm soon... _

Her thoughts trailed back to her other child- her son, whom she had entrusted to one of her closest friends in Fortuna before making off with her daughter.

Her head whipped backwards. Thankfully the demons had yet to catch up, but that didn't mean she was safe. They could appear at anytime.

She had to get her daughter to a new family. She needed to get her out of harm's way.

A high pitched screech echoed behind her, proving her doubts correct. The demons were closer than she believed them to be.

She pressed on, boot clad feet squelching against the wet ground. She came to a stop in front of a wooden door, pounding on it rapidly.

"Iris! Christian! Open up!"

A lock clicked and the door opened to a young blonde woman, her eyebrows knitted in concern.

"What's going on?"

She didn't answer Iris, instead handing her the child and saying, "Take care of her for me, please. Her brother is in the safe hands of Cain and Esther."

Christian joined his wife at the door, peering down at the young girl in her arms, "What's her name?"

She gulped, "I... Name her. I will not have the honour of returning home to her and calling her by it, so who am I to give her one? Please, just keep her safe. If you can… take her somewhere far from Fortuna. She and her brother are in too much danger to even be within arm’s reach of one another."

Another cry came from the depths of the night and she made to close the door, "I will not return." Her palm unfurled to reveal a silver locket and she slipped it into Christian's hand along with a crumpled piece of paper, "I trust you."

"Elise!"

The door slammed shut and Iris grabbed onto Christian's free hand, stopping him from going after their friend. He looked down at her and she shook her head.

"Where will we go, Chris?" She whispered, gently swaying the baby back and forth.

He took a deep breath, "I know someone in Emulet City... they can help me get a job there and... and we'll take care of her. We'll protect her. For Elise."

"Of course... I- no, we won't allow any harm to come to this child."

The baby's eyes opened. They were positively mesmerizing, an icy shade of blue with tiny specks of gold hidden in the iris. She stared up at Iris, the same beautiful eyes beginning to water as she no longer recognized the warmth holding her.

"Her eyes..." Christian murmured, placing a large hand beneath the child's head.

"Stella?" Iris offered, pausing to hush the crying babe, "What do you think?"

"Stella Adonis... it sounds beautiful, my love."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry that the prologue is a bit short~ hehe
> 
> Anyways, Cain and Esther were the names I came up with for Kyrie and Credo's parents, while Elise was the name I came up with for Nero and Stella's mother :)
> 
> I really hoped that you enjoy this story and if you'd like you can check out my twitter (@soichirios) to keep up with updates or to find out if I won't be posting for a while (due to unforeseen circumstances of school being a hellhole)


	2. one

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> [In the thicket of branches,  
A man could be seen.  
His breath uneven,  
Pursuers unknown.  
No one could save him,  
Not even the promise of home sweet home.]

Darkness.

A man's heavy breathing.

The thumping of boots against dry ground.

He was running, she didn't know what from, but he was desperate to get away.

The glint of silver metal in his hands and dark purple face mask gave her one piece of information. This man was a Digitalis.

He turned and threw his dagger in one clean motion, swiping through the heads of whatever was chasing him. But he wasn't safe, not yet. More would be coming.

He picked up the pace, determined to get to safety and return home.

But an inhuman scream filled the brisk night air, and more of the now identified demons surrounded him.

He wouldn't come home.

**•••**

Stella shot upwards, adrenaline running through her veins as she was hugged by the cold arms of silence. Where... what had just happened?

She got out of bed, wary of the black haired boy who was fast asleep beside her.

"Dad..." she muttered, looking at the photo of her and Christian on her mirror. She walked past it and into the hallway, heading straight for Iris' room.

"Mom?"

She tentatively knocked on the door, and when a weary 'come in' was heard from the other side, she pushed the door open.

"What's wrong, honey?"

"I... had another nightmare."

"Alec didn't wake?"

She shook her head and made her way to the bed, sitting down on the edge.

"What was it about?" Iris asked her, rubbing an arm up and down Stella's forearm.

"Dad... it was the vision I had the night he..."

Iris only smiled sweetly, knowing deep inside why Stella was so worked up over the nightmare, "The years have flown, I'm sure he's proud of you."

Stella nodded, ignoring the burning need to cry, "Yeah... I guess I just miss him a lot... The four year anniversary is coming up either way."

"I miss him too, Stella," Iris whispered. "Why don't you head back to bed? Good night, sweetheart."

Stella hugged her once before standing again and going back to her room.

When she stepped back into her bedroom, the bedside lamp was on, casting a warm glow over the small space. Shadows stretched over the walls, one particularly more human like than the others.

"Hey," the boy in her bed spoke, sitting up with his back against the headboard, "Are you alright?"

Stella sat down beside him, resting her head on his shoulder, "I had another nightmare."

He seemed to understand her right away, placing a gentle hand on the crown of her head.

"Do you miss him?"

She nodded, hiding the tiredness in her eyes from him by burrowing further into his embrace.

He wrapped an assuring arm around her, using his other hand to card his fingers through her white tresses.

"I could've saved him..."

He hushed her, pressing a kiss against the crown of her head. When he felt hot, wet tears hit his skin, he sighed, pity growing by the second.

Stella gently took hold of the hand that was playing with her hair and intertwined their fingers, welcoming his comforting scent and homely embrace.

"Go back to sleep," he uttered, not letting go of her hand.

"Thank you, Alec."

"I'll always be here for you, Stella."

**•••**

The next morning was somber and gloomy. The sun's light hidden behind dark storm clouds and the chirping of birds muted by howling wind. It was cold and brisk.

Inside Stella's home was a different story. Iris had long since awoken and was making breakfast. A fire burnt bright in the fireplace, and a cozy hug enveloped the entire place.

Behind the closed door of her bedroom, Stella awoke to the warm stare of Alec's grey eyes, "Morning, sleepy head."

She wriggled out of his arms and said, "Morning."

She got out of bed, walking straight to where her Digitalis uniform hung. He stretched his arms and followed suite, only he grabbed his hoodie instead.

"Eager to get things off your mind already, huh?" he quipped, standing up as he pulled the maroon hoodie over his head.

"No. I just want to stab something." Her response was curt, leaving no room for him to convince her otherwise.

Yet, he still tried.

He wrapped an arm around her from behind, somehow catching the assassin off guard. Alec pulled her body into his, laughing as she demanded he let her go.

"You can't always resort to violence, you know~? Besides, it's raining~" he sang, picking her off the ground and twirling a now laughing Stella in a circle.

He set her down, receiving a playful smack on his shoulder.

She turned to grab her glasses, and put them on, the dark tint covering the starry qualities of her eyes. Alec frowned again. He never liked the way she was ashamed of it.

She was out the door before he could protest against her use of them.

He followed her down the stairs, greeting Iris as they entered the sweet smelling kitchen.

"Morning you two," Iris chirped, flipping a pancake as Stella and Alec each grabbed one from the stack. "How're you feeling, Stella?"

"I'm fine now," Stella mumbled, stuffing a bite into her mouth.

"Hmm? You're wearing your uniform, sweetie. You don't even have a client."

She swallowed hard, and got up to pour her and Alec each a cup of coffee.

"Not yet. Julius said to expect a client sometime today."

"Should I grab my uniform too, then?" Alec asked, gratefully taking the cup from her. He blew away the steam before having a sip.

Stella only shrugged, "If you really want to..."

Iris smiled, rubbing her daughter's shoulders, "Be nice to him, sweetie, you are dating after all."

Both Alec and Stella's replied died on their lips, nervously glancing at each other. Sensing the sudden increase of tension in the room, Iris clasped her hands together. Her smile somehow became even brighter, "Why don't you two get a move on? Julius and the others are probably waiting for you if they have a client in line."

"Yeah. Thanks, Mom."

Another sweet smile graced her lips and she ushered them up, telling them to hurry along and she would take care of everything else.

As soon as they were out the door, Stella let out a steady breath. She tugged at her sleeves as they made their way to Alec's motorbike.

"You didn't tell her?" He asked, getting on the bike. He scooted forward a bit, allowing her to get behind him.

"How could I? She doesn't want me to grow up." She wrapped her arms around his waist, pressing her cheek against his back.

He chuckled, revving the engine twice before saying, "You could say the same for me."

He glanced down at the thin silver ring on her right hand, its likeness to his made him smile and he added, "But I'm okay with it... We'll just have to convince her together. Wanna bribe her with the possibility of having grandkids?"

He revved the engine again and they were off before she could reply.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Nero may or may not be making an impromptu appearance in the next chapter.
> 
> I really hope that you are enjoying this story and if you'd like you can check out my twitter (@soichirios) to keep up with updates or to find out if I won't be posting for a while (due to unforeseen circumstances of school being a hellhole)


	3. two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> [Take a step into the night  
Hear the voices singing,  
"La-la-la-la-la"  
Dancing gracefully to the beat of your heart  
Until the morning comes  
To steal you away]

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter takes place a year after DMC4! And our wacky woohoo pizza man is old. He's getting old. Fckin' hag...

It was late when the couple returned. Their day had been spent tracking down a pair of serial killers in the west end of the city. By now, the sun was just barely peeking above the horizon, nearly concealed by the line of darkness.

Stella help tight to Alec’s gloved hand, his thumb grazing over her wrist as they walked side-by-side. His other hand slowly came up, brushing away a few stray strands of hair that had fallen over her eyes. She looked up at him and smiled softly.

When they reached the house, Stella realized that the door was ajar, an empty wind blowing through the doorway.

“Mom?” Stella called, jogging up to the door and throwing it open.

She froze. The house was a mess.

_ Something _ had torn the home apart. The couches were ripped open, stuffing bleeding out onto the paper soiled floor. The coffee table had been clawed into pieces, lying on the floor in two large, splintering pieces.

A spurt of adrenaline ran through Stella’s veins, “Mom!”

“Aunt Iris!”

Neither receive a reply.

She ran further into the destroyed home, nearly stumbling over the multitude of books splayed across the floor. She came to a stop at the dining room entrance, a distraught cry leaving her lips when she saw the sight before her. Alec grabbed her arm, pulling her into his embrace as she tried to go to Iris’ side.

Iris lay crumpled on the floor, blood seeping from a large wound on her lower back. Her daggers were on the other side of the room. She had gone down fighting. Stella pushed Alec off her, running to Iris’ side.

“Mom, can you open your eyes?” she asked. A breath of relief escaped her lips when she felt a pulse and Iris’ eyes cracked open. Stella turned to her fiance, “Alec, call-”

“Already on it,” he interrupted, “Just find a way to stop the bleeding.”

She nodded, listening in as Julius finally answered the call, “Julius… Yeah, it’s Alec… No, I’m fine, it’s Iris… She was attacked… Yeah, that works. Thanks… We’ll do our best… Alright, g’bye.”

  
  


**•••**

  
  


“Morrisson, what brings you here?” Dante chirped, peeking out from beneath his magazine.

“You’ve got a job,” the broker said, taking a drag from his cigar. He pointed at the phone as the lights suddenly turned back on, “Client’s already paid, he’s expectin’ ya to take it. Should be calling soon."

Just as he finished speaking, the phone began to ring. Dante quirked an eyebrow as he plucked the magazine off his face and tossed it onto the table. He leaned over and grabbed the phone.

“Devil May Cry.”

From the other end of the call, he could hear a woman’s voice instead of a man’s.

_ “... handle this case! I won’t-” _

Then, she was interrupted by a low, male voice. _ That must be the client, _ Dante thought, waiting for the two to finish.

_ “That is quite enough. Now leave, I’m busy.” _

A frustrated groan and the sound of the door slamming shut echoed through the receiver. Dante flinched and looked over at Morrison, who simply shrugged.

_ “Sorry about that,” _ the man said before clearing his throat, _ “Dante, right?” _

“That’s me. What’s your name?”

_ “Julius Marra, current leader of the Foxglove Organization.” _

“Huh? What’s a Digitalis doing calling a demon hunter?”

_ “What else?” _

He scoffed, “Alright, _ Julius _ . What’s this job you’re _ expecting _ me to take?”

_ “I take it that you’re familiar with the Legend of Sparda?” _ Dante didn’t reply, and Julius continued, _ “A woman was attacked by a demon, and it claimed that she was protecting Sparda’s kin. I would usually have one of my men investigating this kind of thing, however, our only free investigator is… emotionally invested with her.” _

“Sparda’s kin?”

_ “That’s all the information I was given. You can speak to the woman herself if you take up the job.” _

Dante pursed his lips together.

Nero was Vergil’s only child, right?

**•••**

  
  


Family was a complicated thing that Stella didn’t really understand, nor did she even try to make sense of it. Of course, she had Iris and Christian as she grew up, but she knew there had always been something missing between them. She knew they weren’t her real parents.

Almost three days after the incident, Iris laid in the hospital bed, eyes open and IV dripping. Stella didn’t know what to think. Tonnes of knowledge had just been put into her mind, and it was quickly slipping out of her grasp like sand through a sieve.

“I hope you can forgive, my dear,” Iris whispered, clasping Stella’s hand with a relatively weak grip. “I should have told you sooner. Your mother… she just wanted to keep you safe.”

She nodded, blinking back tears as the fog finally settles, “It’s… okay. I understand.” 

But she didn’t. She didn’t understand what was so different about her that her mother had to separate her from her brother. Maybe her eyes were a part of that reason. But Stella still didn’t understand. She didn’t want to understand.

Iris smiled sadly, “Look for him, okay? Promise me you’ll look for him.”

“Of course, of course I will,” Stella reassured her, squeezing Iris’ hand comfortingly. 

Truthfully, Stella didn’t know if she would search for him. Leaving Iris would be hard. But she also wanted to find her brother.

After a moment of silence, Iris spoke, her voice cracking as she said, “The doctor says I’ll never walk again.”

For a long while after, neither knew what to say, and the silence in the room seemed like their best bet at not breaking down in tears. 

  
  


**•••**

  
  


Stella sat at her desk, staring at the jewel embedded handles of the daggers Christian gifted her when she turned 11. They glimmered in the dim light of her room, shining like the golden specks in her eyes.

Red, green, blue, red, green blue red greenblue redgreenblue

She squeezed her eyes shut. The colours were too bright, too prominent, too happy.

Happy. Could she be happy right now? She could try, but everything hurt too much to pretend. Nothing was real, except for the shock and the pain. She didn’t want to believe it, she didn’t want to believe that she and her supposed brother had been in so much danger that they had to be separated, that Iris would never be able to walk her down the aisle, that Iris got hurt _ because of her. _

Why did her mother have to drag so many people into this mess?

She moved without thinking, standing and letting out a frustrated scream as she threw her daggers at the empty space above her bed with an inhuman speed. The blade buried itself into the wall. They weren’t meant to be thrown.

Then came the tears, those disgusting, hot tears that Stella hated so much. Her sobs wracked her body, shaking her to the core. She had nothing to ground herself with. Alec was working, Iris was in the hospital. She was alone.

She fell to her knees, sobbing as she thought of Christian. Did he die protecting her? She felt disgusted, how could her mother do this? How could her mother do this to the people closest to her?

_ Bang! Bang! Bang! _

She shot up, nearly hitting her head on the desk as she quickly rubbed away the tears in her eyes. She wrenched her daggers from the wall. Pieces of the drywall crumbled onto her pillows, but she was too preoccupied to notice.

Then it came again, those three impatient but reserved bangs ringing through the lower floor of the house.

She grumbled and dashed out of her room, completely forgetting to put on her glasses.

Who was downstairs? Was it the person Julius had called?

As she reached the door, she slipped one of her daggers into its designated sheath and carefully hid the other in the sleeve of her shirt. She opened it, surprised to see a young white haired man standing there.

He quirked a brow when he saw her, the first thing her noticed being her star-speckled eyes.

She looked down.

“Stella Adonis?” he asked, his expression becoming neutral.

She nodded, “Yeah… and you’re…?”

“Nero.”

“That’s not the name Julius mentioned,” she deadpanned, opening the door just a bit more.

“I was closer in terms of travel time, but he’ll be coming. Eventually,” he smiled slightly, “Can I come in?”

“Oh, yeah, of course.” She moved out of the way, hair falling over her eyes as he entered. She closed the door, letting out a silent breath of relief. At least he wasn’t weird about the eyes, but he did react. Very obviously.

He walked further into the house, carefully examining the couches and floors as he passed. He reached out to inspect the rip in the couch, and that was when Stella noticed.

“Hey… what… what happened to your arm?”

He stopped in his tracks and turned. Standing at his full height, he looked at her, “Demons.”

She nodded, continuing to carefully make her way to his side.

There was an awkward silence in the room, and Stella eventually pulled her daggers from their hidden spots. She placed them on the dinner table with a frown. With that, she began to move around the kitchen, getting started on preparing dinner.

“Nero,” she began, “You can have dinner here if you’d like.”

Just because he was handling the case she wanted didn’t mean she was gonna be rude. He was a guest in her house, in Emulet City as a whole.

His answer came from the living room, “That’d be nice.”

The door opened just as Stella finished washing and cutting the vegetables. Nero looked up from the scratch he was inspecting, glancing at the man for only a moment before returning to his task.

The man walked into the kitchen and Nero could hear bits and pieces of their conversation.

_ “Who’s the person outside?” _

_ “He’s with the devil hunter Julius hired.” _ There was defeat in her voice. Did she not want him there? He shook his head, no one would want a stranger in their house.

_ “Ahh… I see. He really didn’t want you working on that case, huh?” _

There was a scoff and a sigh, _ “He said I was still too unstable. Like hell… I’ve never let my emotions get in the way of my job.” _

Nero frowned at that. From the tone of her voice, it sounded like she was.

_ “Stel-” _

_ “I’ll kill the demon that did this to Iris if it’s the last thing I do.” _

_ “Stella.” _

_ “What!?” _

She was irritated.

_ “Calm down. Do you want me to finish up dinner?” _ Metal clattered against the counter top, _ “Put your daggers back in their case. I’ll call you when everything’s done.” _

_ “Nero… he’s joining us for dinner.” _

_ “Alright, go on now, love.” _

Stella came storming out of the kitchen with a frown. Her daggers were in her hand, the blades resting against the flesh of her palm. She didn’t look at Nero as she made her way up the stairs, the soft glow of his arm unnoticed by her. He saw her for only a moment, and when his arm began to glow, he didn’t stop her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a fun fact about the naming of the Foxglove Organization/Digitalis! Foxgloves (also known as Digitalis) are beautiful flowers that are poisonous to both animals and humans. The ingestion of these flowers can lead to severe sickness, or even death. They can be used in medicine practice, but are not recommended for self-medication. Fitting for an organization of assassins, eh?
> 
> AnywaYS it's been like three months since I last updated it and I completely blame NaNoWriMo and writer's block. (I totally wasn't being lazy) ANyWHO! I'll try to get the next chapter up by the end of... the decade >:D
> 
> I really hope that you are enjoying this story and if you'd like you can check out my twitter (@soichirios) to keep up with updates or to find out if I won't be posting for a while (due to unforeseen circumstances of school being a hellhole)


	4. three

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> [My dear dolly Polly, shut your eyes  
Lie still, lie silent, utter no cries  
As the witcher, brave and bold  
Paid in gold  
He’ll chop and slice you,  
Cut and dice you  
Eat you up whole]

Stella grimaced. Her arms hurt from hacking at the same wooden dummy over and over again, daggers chipping away at the oak as she channeled all her anger towards it. Her hands were sweaty and burning, the jewels digging into her palms as she tightened her grip on them. She was hungry, tired and dizzy, but she didn’t stop.She’d push herself to the brink of death if it meant keeping her mind off of anything else.

From the corner of her eye, she could see that the sky was dark, night was quickly approaching and she’d be forced to leave the training room sooner or later. She grit her teeth and threw the dagger, its serpent-like blade lodging into where the heart would’ve been if the dummy was a human.

Slow clapping came from the other end of the room, “Those weren’t made to be thrown, you know? Can’t afford to lose a weapon during battle.”

She ignored the person as she wrenched her dagger from the dummy. Her lips twisted into a disgusted scowl when they walked into her line of sight, their sword resting in its sheath on their hip.

“Get out of my sight, Pauline,” Stella growled, her eyes darkening as the woman tapped the sheath. “I’m not in the mood to deal with your bullshit.”

Pauline laughed, shrill and high. It hurt Stella’s ears, it made her even more dizzy than she already was. She grimaced, feeling the sound go directly to her head as Pauline sighed.

“What’s got your panties all twisted, missy? Alec not treating you right?”

She growled again, eyes glowing as she fought the need to rip the brunette to shreds. “What do you know about dating people? Now, leave me the fuck alone!”

She pouted, “Aww… I just wanted to play with you for a bit, Ella. Maybe I could catch those daggers of yours! Mr. Adonis gave them to you, didn’t he? Right before-”

_ “Shut up!” _

She dropped her daggers, hands curling into fists as she tried to get her emotions under control. “Leave, Pauline. I don’t want to hurt you. Just please, leave, for fuck’s sake!”

Pauline chuckled, her eyes glittering in the light of the training room, “Hurt me? You make me laugh, Ella. But if you don’t want me around  _ that _ much… I guess I’ll go.”

Her eyebrows furrowed, waiting for the damned woman to finally leave her alone. Her ears still hurt from Pauline’s shrill laughter, head aching from the amount of anger she was keeping in. And even though she had finally gotten her power under control, her gaze was still dotted with splotches of yellow, red, blue and white. Some seemed brighter than others and replicated the stars of the night sky. She placed a hand against her forehead, her fingers digging so deep into her palm that she could feel warm blood dripping from them. She’d faint if she didn’t get water soon. Wasn’t that what she was trying to do? Faint and forget everything?

Her vision blurred, and the last thing she saw under the hazy lights, was someone running to her aide.

**•••**

Stella’s eyes cracked open to a bland grey ceiling. Her head hurt, her mouth and throat felt dry. She couldn’t swallow. In the corner of her eye, she could see a bright light shining. She blinked, the strong smell of alcohol and medicine hitting her like a freight train. Was she in a hospital?

The door creaked open and she shut her eyes, the pain slowly beginning to ebb away. A warm hand touched her cheek, fingers trailing up to her forehead and brushing away her hair. She could hear the person’s heartbeat and feel their hand shaking.

“I know you can hear me,” Alec whispered. His voice was shaking too. He was worried. Her heart tightened in her chest and she opened her eyes, “You’re terrible. I love you.”

She gave him a weak smile, but didn’t speak.

The ring on his finger was ice on her cheek, and he said, “You were out the entire night…”

“That’s… new.”

He chuckled softly, leaning over her carefully. She could feel the bed dipping as he put all his weight on his other hand. “Don’t do that again. You have no idea how scared I was when I saw Nero carrying you to the infirmary.”

Nero? What was he doing there?

“Your hand was bleeding,” Alec admitted, his eyes softening as he sat down on the edge of the bed. His hand left her face, moving to hold her bandaged hand. “It had healed by the time they got you here, but I put this on for good measure. They don’t need to know about your powers.”

She nodded, sitting up with a little help from him. “Could you get me a glass of water?”

Alec stood up instantly. For a moment, Stella regretted asking him from the water, she missed the familiarity of his warmth.

“Your hair is turning black again,” he remarked as he poured it into the glass.

She pursed her lips, her free hand reaching upwards to inspect her hair. Taking a few strands into her hand she chuckled. “It hasn’t done that since I was 16.” He handed her the glass. “Thanks.”

As she took a sip, a knock came from the door. Alec blinked a few times before realizing who it must’ve been. He quickly opened the door, and nodded towards a man with the same white hair as Nero.

“Stella, this is Dante,” Alec introduced them, “He’s the hunter that Julilus hired.”

Stella gave him a little wave, “It’s nice to finally meet you.” She forced the greeting, placing the glass on the bedside table.

“Yeah, sorry about that.” He sat down on a chair at the foot of the bed. “So, you’re the daughter of Iris Adonis?”

_ Adopted, but… _

She nodded. 

“How’d you end up in the hospital? I thought only she got attacked.”

“Overworked myself,” she mumbled, twiddling her thumbs, “And force fainting? Ah… I dunno. This rarely happens so you just caught me at a bad time.”

“Uh huh… Your hair do  _ that _ regularly?”

She chuckled before answering, “Only when I’m stressed”

The door opened again, Stella glanced to the side to see Alec exiting the room. She looked back at Dante.

“Quit beating around the bush,” she began, “Nero didn’t ask me much, just poked around the house a bit. What exactly do you need to know?”

“Straight to the point, I like it,” he chuckled, adjusting his position on the chair, “Alright. So, were you there when the attack happened?”

She blinked, “If I was, I don’t think we’d be having this conversation.” The statement came through gritted teeth, her expression mostly blank as she stared him down.

He sucked in a breath, “I see… well, did Iris tell you anything about what happened that night?”

He had already gone to see the older woman and heard the entire story, but he needed to hear Stella’s end. He needed to know exactly how much she knew about herself.

Stella looked down for a bit, then huffed, “Yeah.”

His posture straightened, “What did she say?”

“All she said was that it has something to do with my bloodline. And I barely know anything about it to begin with.”

“Well, what do you know?”

**•••**

It was early evening when Dante left the hospital. His head was swarming with so many different thoughts. It was hard enough keeping everything about Nero a secret, but with the amount of knowledge Stella held, he was bound to have a harder time. He sighed, and laid back on the bed Julius had so kindly provided him with.

He needed to find a way to keep Stella from learning anything else.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AH EXAMS ARE AT THE END OF THIS MONTH
> 
> but hey I got a chapter up before my braincells died!
> 
> Next chapter... it's sorta angsty i guess? But just a warning for those who do not enjoy the taste of tears as they read!
> 
> I really hope that you are enjoying this story and if you'd like you can check out my twitter (@soichirios) to keep up with updates or to find out if I won't be posting for a while (due to unforeseen circumstances of school being a hellhole)
> 
> And as always, if you could leave comments or kudos, that'd be amazing~~~


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